Thursday, September 13, 2007

As many of you know, I cut pretty much all DC books from my pull months ago, but I'll admit, I've been slowly pulled back into the fold... and, until yesterday, I wasn't terribly happy about (I know, I know... it's my own fault). But seriously, Justice League of America: Wedding Special, written by my man, Dwayne McDuffie, blows the lid off and is a comic that I wouly highly recommend to everyone.

I gave Brad Meltzer's go at the book a try (mainly because of Doctor Impossible) but I just wasn't sold on it. Ignoring the mischaracterization, the continuity inaccuracies, and the unnecessary violence (Grundy's a cannibal?), the biggest reason I was put off by the book is that it just wasn't terribly fun - none of the characters seemed like they wanted to be there.

But in Wedding Special, McDuff and co. fix that problem in one shot, and do the unthinkable in this day and age: they leave me immediately wanting to read the next issue! Good job, DM! I can't wait for your run on the book to start.

Now this...

New Avengers #34

...eh? It's a different cart of apples.

Just let me say I love the Avengers and everything that comes with 'em, no doubt.

Yes, I am excited about the Secret Invasion story coming up. Invasion, according to Bendis, had seeds planted way back in Avengers: Disassembled, but the "event" ball really started rolling when the Avengers, trying to save Daredevil's ex, Echo, discovered a Skrull posing as Hand-head-honcho, Elektra, and for who knows how long?

Issues following, see the team contemplating the potential of an all out Skrullocaust, and Luke Cage growing more and more mistrusting of his team, eventually calling a time out for a day. But with #34, the team reconvenes to try and get to the bottom of some things.

So what's up with the cover?

Well, to alleviate some of the tension, Doctor Strange (who's now sleeping with Night Nurse, his sidekick from BKV'sThe Oath... so much for subtlety, huh Bendis?) introduces a spell to that can display the true nature of each team member, thus identifying who's a Skrull and who's not (what?). Seems like a good plan to the team, and honeslty, it makes for a pretty good visual tool.

The spell's results are pretty much what we see on the cover:

Cage sees himself as Power Man

Iron Fist is just a warrior in a long line

Jessica Jones as her former superhero identity of Jewel

Spider-man is a nerdy kid

Echo shows that she's takes her inspiration from Daredevil

Hawkeye'ssoul reveals he idolizes Cap

Doctor Strange still sees himself as a physician

and Wolverine reveals the spirit of a samurai

Most of these work. All except one, which leads me to this prediction: Luke Cage is a Skrull.

Not sure I buy Cage seeing himself as Power Man... something about it just seems kind of, I don't know... lazy... like nobody's really taking the right consideration's with the character (I don't know if that makes sense, and I'm not sure I really want to get into it, so...)

But another thing: when the spell is cast, Luke is conveniently holding his daughter, the newly named Danielle. We know for a "fact" that something's up with the kid because of her glowing green eyes from an issue or so back.

Yeah, it's possible I'm looking for clues where there really aren't' any, but I can't help but think it's significant that Cage is holding the kid.

Oh, and in # 32, Luke spends almost the whole issue explaining (to us) how each team member has changed, when it's pretty clear he's the most different out of the bunch. Where's the yellow shirt? The tiara? Those gold teeth? What - married? An Avenger?

Where's my Cage, honey?

I think Bendis is trying to throw us off the scent.

Oh, and maybe Doctor Strange is one too... more on this in a later post, maybe.

And there's Leinil Francis Yu's art. It's just not working for me. This isn't to say I don't like Yu's work sometimes, because I do. But I think he's a bad fit for New Avengers. The cast is too damn big for him, and when you add in Bendis'sinsistence on keeping the entire team together in one room (or plane) nearly every issue, it means Yu's averaging somewhere around 5 characters per panel... that'd be hard for anybody to do.

Still okay with Yu's art? Hey, that's cool. But just as a test, take a look at the last page of #34, and (ignoring the dialogue) try to tell me exactly what the hell's going on?

TCB: Essentially, Deathstroke's trying to find an assassin who's killing all of Gotham City's major gangsters, which of course, brings him face-to-face with Batman, who believes Deathstroke might be the killer... and things pretty much go badass from there.

Deathstrokes, who's kind of racing against the clock, gets tired of Batman's getting in his way, and a fight breaks out.

BS: So who wins?

TCB: Well, it's Slade's book, so who do you think? But this had been a fight fans were asking for in the letters pages for years, and Wolfman really delivered the goods. Not to give too much away, but it ends with Deathstroke telling Batman to stay down, Bats not listening and, ultimately, ending up on the receiving end of one of the greatest roundhouse kicks ever...

Y'know, I'm not usually one to poo poo a story before I've had the opportunity to read it, but this whole Venom symbiotes versus the Avengers thing wreaks of "But damn, we've run outta ideas."

But I think I know what happened here.

Bendis, under a tight editorial deadline, was looking through some old stuff in his office and found one of his "Cool Story Ideas For When I'm A Writer At Marvel" notebooks from the 90s (hey, I've got a few myself) and found this little gem inside, plotted and ready to go.

All he really had to do was change a few names - Sersi to Ms. Marvel, Hercules to Sentry, Black Knight to Ares, Druid to Doctor Strange, Deathcry to Wolverine... you get the idea.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

I've started reading the book, and I'm kind of surprised by how much I like it.

Sometime last year, I was working my way through the Narnia books (for the first time, believe it or not) and while talking with a friend about C S Lewis, he suggested I read Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy before the movies hit, describing the story as the anti-Narnia.

I'd completely forgotten about it until a month or so back I saw the trailer for The Golden Compass, and now I'm on.